US Chess is pleased to announce the list of players who are officially invited to participate in the 2023 World Youth (Under 14, Under 16 and Under 18) and 2023 World Cadet (Under 8, Under 10 and Under 12) Chess Championships.

These students earned this honor by meeting the peak post-tournament (PPT) rating and activity criteria in their age and gender categories according to the Scholastic National Invitational Event and Award Requirements.

The top players by PPT rating in each age category are considered the United States Official Representatives (OR) by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, but all USA players may compete in these events as part of the US Chess delegation. Additionally, players may qualify as Personal Rights (PR) players, subject to organizer's regulations.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

There are currently no details (at the time of publishing this article) regarding either the 2023 World Youth, or 2023 World Cadet Chess Championships other than if held, they will be in Montesilvano, Italy for the 2023 World Youth and Egypt for the 2023 World Cadet.

However, should these events be held, you should note that both the World Youth and World Cadet Championships are open tournaments and any US Chess member who meets the age and eligibility requirements may participate, but they will be responsible for all financial obligations needed to do so. A player's age for these tournaments is his/her age as of Jan. 1, 2023.

The latest news regarding international youth events can be found here. Please contact Brian Yang, FIDE Events Manager at brian.yang@uschess.org if you have any questions regarding these events.

Congratulations to the following players who are invited to be the Official U.S. Representatives at the 2023 World Youth and 2023 World Cadet Chess Championships! (Note: The top player in bold is the Official U.S. Representative. If they choose not to go, then it goes down the list in the order that is listed.)

(SARASOTA, Fla.) – The Florida Swimming Pool Association (FSPA) recognized 13 companies who received more than 25 awards of excellence in the organization’s annual Design Awards competition. The winners were announced during the 51st annual Everything Under the Sun Expo.

The annual FSPA Design Awards program gives FSPA members an opportunity to enter their pools, spas and water features for judging on workmanship, soundness of design, beauty, practicality and safety. Categories customized for Florida pool construction divide the entries by size, type of construction and features. Winners were selected by the Design Awards Committee, a volunteer group of decorated professionals in the pool and spa industry.

Lucas Lagoons of the Manasota Chapter won Best in Show for their aesthetically astounding pool paradise. The group garnered a total of 10 awards, including four Gold Awards.

Other winners included Ike’s Carter Pool Companies from the Broward Chapter, which garnered five awards including a Gold Award and Technical Achievement. Best Pools of Brevard from the Space Coast Chapter won the “Salt Life” Award for their unique Florida-shaped pool.

In addition to pool and spa design, the organization recognized the Tops in Trucks, recognition for fleet graphics in the pool industry. POOLfection of the Tampa Bay Chapter was the Small Fleet Winner and Master Touch Pool Services of the Palm Beach Chapter was the Large Fleet Winner.

“The FSPA’s annual Design Awards recognizes the excellent craftsmanship, engineering feats, innovative use of technology, and outstanding quality within Florida’s pool and spa industry,” said Elizabeth McMurray, FSPA Executive Director. “This year’s winners represent just a small portion of the incredible pools, spas and water features that builders and their teams are crafting every day around our state.”

A full list of winners is detailed below. Pictures are available upon request. For more information, please e-mail Alyssa@FloridaPoolPro.com.

• Almar Jackson Pools, Inc. – Tequesta, FL (Palm Beach Chapter)Gold Award – Residential Pool 501 square feet and over

• AquaTech Pools GC – Nokomis, FL (Manasota Chapter)Bronze Award – Residential Pool 250-500 square feetGold Award – Residential Pool 250-500 square feet

• Best Pools of Brevard – Melbourne, FL (Space Coast Chapter)“Salt Life” Award

• CM Custom Pools Design – Ormond Beach, FL (East Central Florida Chapter)Gold Award – Residential Pool Restoration

• East Coast Pools & Spas – Ormond Beach, FL (East Central Florida Chapter)Silver Award – Residential Pool Vanishing Edge

• Ike’s Carter Pool Companies – Oakland Park, FL (Broward Chapter)Bronze Award – Residential Pool 501 square feet and overSilver Award – Residential Pool 501 square feet and overGold Award – Residential Pool 501 square feet and overTechnical Award – Residential Pool Vanishing EdgeBronze Award – Residential Pool Vanishing Edge

• Indigo Pool Patio BBQ – Venice, FL (Charlotte Harbor Chapter)Bronze Award – Residential Pool 501 square feet and over

• Lucas Lagoons – Sarasota, FL (Manasota Chapter)Best In ShowSilver Award – Residential Pool 501 square feet and overSilver Award – Residential Pool 501 square feet and overGold Award – Residential Pool 501 square feet and overGold Award – Residential Pool 501 square feet and overSilver Award – Residential SpaGold Award – Residential SpaBronze Award – Residential Water FeatureSilver Award – Residential Water FeatureGold Award – Residential Water Feature

• Master Touch Pool Service – Coral Springs, FL (Palm Beach Chapter)Tops-in-Trucks Award – Large Fleet

• Nautilus Pools – Port Charlotte, FL (Charlotte Harbor Chapter)Gold Award – Residential Pool Vanishing Edge

• POOLfection – Wesley Chapel, FL (Tampa Bay Chapter)Tops-in-Trucks Award – Small Fleet

• Poolwerx Beaches – Jacksonville, FL (Northeast Florida Chapter)Gold Award – Residential Pool – Fiberglass

• Trusted Pool and Spa LLC – Parrish, FL (Manasota Chapter)Silver Award – Residential Pool 501 square feet and over

The Florida Swimming Pool Association is a trade association for the pool and spa industry in Florida. There are approximately 750 member businesses in 16 Chapters across the state. Members are required to abide by a code of ethics and to be properly licensed and insured. FSPA provides the industry with access to continuing education courses, information on current trends and issues, and an arbitration program and government relations representation. FSPA is governed by a Board of Directors.

Featured Photor: (from L to R): Don Cesarone from Lucas Lagoons pose with FSPA Board President Don Ball upon receiving the Best in Show Award at the 2023 FSPA Design Awards.

For a cardiac arrest patient, every second without medical intervention matters. In an effort to help even more residents and visitors survive a heart attack, the Arlington Fire Department is putting technology to work by adding innovative machines, known as LUCAS devices, to their medical tool kits.

Arriving on the scene, firefighters may have many procedures to do, including assessing the patient’s status, securing an airway, starting IVs, discussing the use of a cardiac defibrillator, and most importantly, beginning chest compressions. Chest compressions can be exhaustive and require multiple providers switching out every two minutes to maintain a consistent beat. These essential compressions may need to be done on the move as well, while firefighters are transporting a patient through a house or into the back of an ambulance.

The LUCAS Device is the answer to the physical difficulties that come with compressions, Arlington fire officials say. The halo-shaped device wraps around the patient, where a battery-operated suction cup attaches to the patient’s chest and provides consistent chest compressions. With various settings, it merely takes a press of a button from the operator to achieve the action, said EMS Lt. Jason Adams with the Arlington Fire Department.

“Continuous compressions are the key to keeping the body and vital organs perfuse. This increases the survival outcomes for our patients,” Adams said. “It does one hundred and two compressions a minute and it doesn't get tired. It never stops unless we hit stop. So, it is one of those very effective tools.”

The Arlington Fire Department began purchasing the devices in 2021, and although early in use, Lt. Adams said they are already helping to make a difference. Last year, the Fire Department saw a record of 51 cardiac arrest survivors. With contributions of funds from the CARES Act, the Fire Department expects to have 37 of these devices located throughout Arlington by the end of this summer.

“We have put them in service all across the city. Every fire district has one right now and each stadium has its own LUCAS device,” Lt. Adams said. “Every fire apparatus will have one hopefully within the next month or two.”

Click here to view the Arlington Fire Department’s FY 2021 Annual Report to learn more about cardiac arrest saves and other department news.

Lt. Adams said the devices improve safety for first responders as well, allowing them to remain seated with seatbelts during patient transport.

The Lund University Cardiopulmonary Assist System (LUCAS) device was first developed at the end of the 1990’s in Sweden to better improve the efficacy of chest compressions. The device has been reported with an >99% operational reliability and a median 7-second when transitioning from manual to LUCAS mechanical chest compressions.

Lucas Raley, director of planning and development at the city of Canyon, spoke of the current developments and also future developments for the city. The city is growing and is home to West Texas A&M University, which is an interesting part of the city’s landscape.

The City of Canyon has a comprehensive plan for the city. The purpose of the plan is defined as “a rational and reasonable basis for making development decisions about the community.”

“What that document does is basically set a 10 to 15-year plan for the city of Canyon,” Raley said. “Where are we now? Where are we trying to move to? [The document] is good for community members and business owners. It takes a year or two to produce that kind of document.”

In addition to the comprehensive plan, the city of Canyon also holds regular public meetings that are scheduled to discuss planning and zoning development as well as parks and recreation, amongst other things.

Future land use map hung on the office wall of Lucas Raley, Director of Planning and Development.

“The future land use map shows what our current zoning is,” Raley said. “Zoning is a regulatory tool that says, okay, you have a piece of property; here are the specific things you can build on that property.”

The future land use map is useful for the public advisory committee because they are able to see and ask questions about future and current developments in a visual format.

“[The map] splits it up into many categories, residential, medium density, downtown, retail and commercial industry,” Raley said. “We look at the community as a whole and say, where do we feel like it’s appropriate to have businesses? Where do we think schools should go?”

WT is an important part of the city of Canyon, but as a state college, it has its own zoning rules and regulations that it follows aside from the city. Despite this, the planning and development of the city of Canyon will affect WT students, staff and faculty, as well as community members.

“Around WT, there’s a lot of high-density residential zones,” Raley said. “Or medium density zones, because it makes sense to have higher density there for students or faculty. It’s our job to look at [our plan] or use the future land map to determine whether or not an amendment is needed.”

The development side of the city of Canyon involves talking with contractors who would like to build residential apartments or commercial developments for the city. While it goes hand in hand with planning, it has more to do with the contract agreements between the city of Canyon and the developer.

“We look at new developments, [developers] coming in and proposing houses and we have to go through the process with them,” Raley said. “We have our code officials and inspectors. There are a lot of rules and regulations [developers] need to follow to adhere to safety.”

It is important to note that housing development pricing is done by the contractors and not the city. Different developers have different aims for their commercial or residential buildings and it is all for the overall current and future development of the city.

“Right now, we have a lot of houses slated for development,” Raley said. “We’ve been building about 100 houses a year for the last several years. Wendy’s is about to take their building to the ground and rebuild; there’s a tea place across from Wendy’s that is getting ready to open soon.”

With building houses and incoming commercial development, the city is steadily growing and it highlights the importance of residential and commercial development for city growth.

“Just outside the city limits, there’s a developer working on what’s called a municipal utility district,” Raley said. “[There’ll be] a water system and sewage system out there. There’s a proposal for 1000 houses to go out there. That’ll have a significant impact on the city of Canyon; those [residents] will shop here and eat here.”

If you are interested in learning more about the planning and development of the city of Canyon, the comprehensive plan is available for access online, and you can also fill out the form to join the public advisory committee.

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(Washington, DC) Today, Ranking Member Frank Lucas introduced a bill to improve research, development, and deployment of civilian unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and to accelerate the deployment the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry.

The National Drone and Advanced Air Mobility Initiative Act is cosponsored by Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Stephanie Bice (R-OK), Space & Aeronautics Subcommittee Ranking Member Brian Babin (R-TX), Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-TX), and Rep. Young Kim (R-CA).

The legislation is critical for developing the domestic UAS and AAM industries, which must be strong, safe, and secure to compete with China. The bill will provide for a coordinated federal initiative across research and mission agencies to support UAS research and development activities and ensure U.S. leadership in unmanned aircraft systems and advanced air mobility technologies.

“Unmanned aircraft systems are already starting to revolutionize agriculture, transportation, public safety, weather forecasting, and border security, just to name a few industries,” Lucas said. “The demand from businesses and government is only getting larger, and the drone services market is expected to grow to more than $63 billion by 2025, which is astonishing given that it was worth less than $5 billion in 2018. The market for Advanced Air Mobility is expected to increase to $115 billion by 2035, creating more than 280,000 new jobs. It is an economic imperative that we expand this industry in the United States so we can benefit from future drone market growth.”

Lucas also emphasized the need to address security risks from China’s near monopoly of the market for producing UAS. He cited DJI, a drone production firm that has tried to hide the fact that it is supported by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). “A single Chinese firm that’s tied to the CCP has cornered 90 percent of the market for drones used for public safety and nearly 80 percent of drones used recreationally,” Lucas said. “That should concern anyone who cares about cybersecurity, privacy, and secure supply chains in the United States.”

Lucas went on to explain how the National Drone and Advanced Air Mobility Initiative Act will help grow our economy and counter foreign threats. “Unmanned aircraft systems and Advanced Air Mobility are too important to our economy and our national security to ignore,” Lucas said. “This bill will enable coordinated research and public-private partnerships that will give us the tools and knowledge we need to develop the domestic drone industry and expand our Advanced Air Mobility capabilities. I’m grateful to my colleagues for cosponsoring this bill, and I look forward to working with public and private stakeholders to get this across the finish line.”

The National Drone and Advanced Air Mobility Initiative Act will:

The full text can be found here.

For more information on the bill, a section-by-section summary of the legislation is available here, and a fact sheet is available here.